1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer assisted automatic error detection and diagnosis of file servers, such as for a networked file server.
2. Related Art
Network file servers are subject to errors and other failures (such as less-than-expected levels of performance), including those arising from hardware failure, software error, erroneous configuration, or mismatch between configuration and usage. Many of these errors and other failures are similar to those that are common for general-purpose computer systems, and these would therefore be subject to similar forms of error detection and diagnosis by a user of the system. However, many network file servers are designed for minimal user intervention, and are specifically intended to have extremely simple user interfaces. One such group of easy-to-use network file servers are called “Network Appliance”™ file servers, for which the model of use is that the device is as easy to use as a common toaster.
One problem with known systems is that relative ease of use is often coupled with relatively unsophisticated users. Error detection and diagnosis by relatively unsophisticated users is subject to the drawback that relatively unsophisticated users are relatively unsophisticated in the use of error detection and diagnosis techniques. Thus, forms of error detection and diagnosis that are acceptable for general-purpose computer systems are not nearly as suitable for network file servers where one of the most important purposes is to be easy-to-use.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a technique for computer assisted automatic error detection and diagnosis of file servers that is not subject to drawbacks of the known art.